Monday 18 February 2008

SEBA Seminar on Saturday 16.02.08



On Saturday I attended the Scottish Equine Breeders Association Seminar at Oatridge College. I can't believe that it was a year ago since the last seminar, but there you go, time flies by.
Once again, an interesting selcetion of Verterinary speakers, scaring us all to death, and making us wonder how our foals ever manage to survive conception, birth and adulthood! The odds are certainly against any foal survivng - nature is a strange and wonderful beast.
Something that I learned at the seminar, which I think may be of interest and I have tried to illustrate with the photos of Maud taken yesterday, is that horses cannot see the colour red. It is not in their visible colour range, and what they can see has is slightly washed out when comparing our own colour vision.
I shan't bore you with anymore information about the seminar.
So the weekend after next, I have entered Maud into her first Riding Club Dressage Competition. Not really my "scene", but I have to educate her, and dressage is an important part of that. I'll let you know how she does, but first I have to learn the test - not too difficult, Prelim 1, for those in the know.
P.S. The spell check isn't working agian!

Thursday 7 February 2008

Spring



Has Spring arrived early this year? I don't know, but imagine my surprise at the beginning of last week when I noticed these two purple iris flowering in my garden by the french doors - I didn't notice them coming up. (I planted them years ago, so I forgotten they were there!)
Unfortunatley, they were completely distroyed by the snow and sleet we had on Saturday, but they gave me a few days pleasure while they lasted.
The Dafodills are bravely coming through, and the snowdrops have been up and flowering for several weeks now. I took the snowdrop picture yesterday, there are carpets of them around Tandlehill, and it was a lovley sight to see them in the sunshine! Sunshine: a rare commodity these day!
I hope to ride Bombay at the weekend. He had a very nasty puncture wound in his off fore two weeks ago and has been on medication etc to bring the pain and the swelling down. So now I will bring him gentley back into work. A short hack through the village I think will be enough for him to start with. Poor Boy!
Maud is off to Riding Club on Sunday, if it is not cancilled again due to the weather! She has not been ridden since January, so could be rather fresh or cheesed off, one or the other!
Yesterday, I got around to removing the Christmas decoration from my everyday riding hat and have replaced it with somthing a little more seasonal - I'll post pictures of it soon. Just a little cheesy, but it should raise a smile from the kids in the village.
The Forg toy was a complete disaster as far as Imogen was concerned - just not really interested in it at all. I think she must be one of the few Labradors who does not like picking up. On the other hand, Fleur was terribly excited by it. Yes she nearly killed it, but I managed to get the toy off her and it is hidden away - but she can smell it and therefore knows where it is!
P.S. I can't get spell check to work today, so if there are any spelling mistakes - tough!